Thoughts from a wild Saturday

Random thoughts from a wild Saturday:

Tuberville and the future: Texas Tech administration said Saturday they were "blindsided" by coach Tommy Tuberville's stunning departure to the University of Cincinnati. I believe them. It happened quickly, too quick for even rumors to swirl.

But it was the best for both the Tech program and Tuberville. Tuberville could see the future, and it wasn't good. He had to win next year, probably at least eight games to save his job. He was losing coordinator Neal Brown and running back coach Chad Scott to Kentucky, and enough playing experience to make an eight-win season a real challenge with a difficult road schedule.

His former athletic director at Cincy threw him a life preserver when Butch Jones, its head coach, left for Tennessee, not even 48 hours earlier. Yes, it's a step down in terms of salary and conference affiliation, but with a new contract, Tuberville in essence traded four or five years for one. Good survival move for him.

Tuberville never embraced Lubbock, and a divided fan faction over the Mike Leach firing never fully embraced him. I didn't like the hire when it was made three years ago. Tech needs an almost out-of-the-box hire to be successful and Tuberville, even though he won at Auburn before being fired, just seemed like any easy replacement and a warm body who needed a job. Not an inspired choice at all.

He never warmed to winning with offense in the current culture of the Big 12. His SEC mentality of a strong defense and running game wasn't going to work at Tech, which didn't have the horses to do it that way.

I thought Tech should have made a change after the season because it was inevitable. Might as well do it now and get on with a new voice in the program. At least Tuberville saved Tech a buyout.

As is often the case when a legend retires or a successful, but controversial coach like Leach leaves, the next guy is almost a sacrificial lamb, a necessary bridge to healing and distancing that is required. Tuberville was that.

Tech's next hire will be more fitting and probably will reunite the fan base. It could happen by Wednesday. Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt is reportedly interviewing a couple of candidates Monday.

Tech is making the obligatory run at Baylor's Art Briles, who graduated from Tech and is a former assistant. Briles' contract buyout is very expensive and he just seems too entrenched at Waco to move. Both have been very good to each other. I'd be shocked if this gets very far, but I've been shocked by a lot of things in college coaching.

That likely leaves Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Both bring high risk/high reward. Morris won four state titles in high schools in Texas, and has been an offensive guru the last three years at Tulsa and Clemson. He is also the high school coach of Micheal Brewer, Tech's QB for the next three years.

Kingsbury is the rock star, the shades-wearing coach of Johnny Manziel, the Heisman Trophy winner. Of course, he was Tech's QB from 1999-2002, and it would be seen by many as MacArthur returning to the Philippines. He's light on experience as well, but long on potential.

It should come down to Hocutt's preference between Morris and Kingsbury. Either one is the kind of hire that better fits Tech.

Tuberville did Tech a favor, and in a way, Tech did Tuberville one as well.

Jerry Brown: Like you, I had not heard of the Cowboys linebacker, on Dallas' practice squad, until Saturday. He was killed in the early morning hours of Saturday when he was a passenger in a car driven by teammate Jason Brent. Brent lost control of the car, and was later charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Say what you will about the Cowboys. They often play and live in the theater of the absurd. They are sometimes a sad comedy. But a team that got the word of Brown's death on the plane Saturday as it boarded for Cincinnati came together Sunday.

It's a very flawed, very average team in many areas, but props to the Cowboys, who overcame a 19-10 deficit to win 20-19 on Dan Bailey's field goal on the game's last play.

Johnny Manziel: Not sure if it's ever been truly appreciated what he has done. This is hokey young teen fiction stuff. He's never played a down of college football, enters the season as second team, and four months later, wins the Heisman Trophy, the first-ever freshman to do so. He did all of that as a 19-year-old.

It's one of the incredible stories in sports in recent years.

Going forward, the bar got set very high now for Manziel if he's ever to match Archie Griffin, the Ohio State tailback who is the only player to win two in 1974-75.

Voters, in this on-to-the-next-great-thing era, will probably be looking for reasons not to give it to him over the next three years. His standard will be much different than his competition. Winning one in the next three years may be harder than winning the first.

By the way, Manziel will do the Top 10 tonight on Letterman.

Zach Grienke: Almost buried in the Saturday chaos was the free-agent pitcher agreeing to a six-year, $147 million contract with the Dodgers. The Rangers had a shot at landing the top player on the market, but not with the Dogers flush with cash from a new ownership group and local TV deal.

LA now has the biggest payroll in baseball, topping the Yankees. The Dodgers' payroll is $210 million, the first National League club to top $200 million. Get your head aroung Grienke's contract -- $24.5 million a year through 2018.